A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 26

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[You mustn’t leave the Divine Beast’s egg unattended for so long.]
[Yes, sir.]
When did Derin get here again?
[This matter takes precedence over all else.]
[Indeed, sir.]
[It is the lifelong grudge of our house incarnate—we must hasten to its resolution—]
Enough, enough!
“I understand.”
I quickly silenced both Hersel, who was launching into a lengthy tirade, and my butler ghost Derin, who nodded along with every word.
“I’ll find the Divine Beast’s egg. As quickly as possible.”
[You… truly mean it?]
“But first, I need to prepare something.”
[Prepare?]
Derin’s joyful expression crumpled once more. He clearly believed I was about to invent some excuse to postpone the search for the Divine Beast’s egg yet again.
‘Honestly, nobody trusts me.’
But I was already planning to begin.
No matter how I thought about it, there was no better method than this.
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat with my hand, steadying my voice. And then…
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
I screamed with every ounce of strength, loud enough to shake the mansion itself.
[…!]
[…!]
Startled by the sound, both Hersel and Derin hastily retreated to one side.
Crash!
“Miss! What’s wrong!”
Moments later, the door burst open and Dona came rushing in.
“What, what’s happened?”
“Miss Camilla?”
“What is it? Why are you like this?”
“That scream just now—what was it? What’s going on?”
Other maidservants and attendants stationed on the same floor came running, their voices overlapping with concern.
With the Duke’s orders in place, their movements were certainly much swifter than before.
“Miss, are you alright?”
Dona approached quickly, her face etched with worry as she beheld me trembling, my complexion drained of all color.
The other attendants and maidservants wore expressions of deep concern as well. Had there been an intruder?
Several attendants could be seen rushing outside to summon the soldiers.
But I could only tremble, unable to speak. I couldn’t even properly grasp the cup of water Dona offered me.
“Camilla!”
In the midst of this, Duke Sorpel burst into the room, having apparently heard the news.
My trembling body stilled like magic the moment I faced Duke Sorpel.
Instead, my expression had gone blank as I stared at him, and then my eyes grew wet before tears streamed down my cheeks.
“Camilla!”
“Father…”
“What has happened?”
“Are you alright?”
“What?”
I grasped Duke Sorpel’s hand tightly as he drew near. My voice wavered as I continued.
“In my dream, in the dream Father was…”
“A dream?”
“There was fire, such a massive fire, and—”
“…”
“In Father’s study, there were so many bolts of cloth stacked everywhere…”
“Cloth?”
“Such a massive fire… and even when I begged you to come out, even when I tried to drag you away, you wouldn’t leave, and you were trapped in the flames… oh—”
The faces of everyone gathered in the room twisted in bewilderment. All this commotion over a mere dream?
Among them, Ravi wore the most incredulous expression.
His eyes held the look of someone watching me commit yet another absurd act—as if asking what outrageous thing I would do next.
‘Why did that man even come?’
He had been locked away in the Research Laboratory all evening, claiming to be busy.
Now that I thought about it, Ludvil was also standing quietly in the corner. Had my scream been that loud?
I had deliberately shrieked to cause a commotion, so I felt slightly embarrassed.
“To think you would rush into the flames to save me…”
At that moment, Duke Sorpel opened his mouth.
Even as he held my hand firmly, he could still feel the faint trembling within it.
Witnessing this, Duke Sorpel’s gaze softened.
Though it had only been a dream, the fact that I had thrown myself into the fire to save him was deeply moving.
“I was so frightened, and—I’m so sorry.”
“No, no. You must have been very scared.”
Duke Sorpel wore a pleased expression as he gently stroked my hair again and again.
‘That’s right.’
It mattered little what confused expressions the others wore. As long as Duke Sorpel was satisfied, that was all that counted.
‘Besides, that wasn’t even my true purpose.’
Something had occurred to me after meeting Laila this afternoon.
Around this time, a major fire breaks out at the textile factory operated by the Sorpel Family.
Though it was not the family’s primary business, the incident would keep Duke Sorpel exceptionally busy traveling outside for quite some time.
I wasn’t certain of the exact date, but since it happened not long after Laila transferred here, it would likely occur within the week—
The door burst open!
“Your Grace!”
At that moment, the door swung wide with a loud sound, and Attendant Jacter hurried inside.
“What is the matter?”
“A problem has arisen, sir.”
“A problem?”
Duke Sorpel’s expression, which had been reproachful as he watched Jacter enter Camilla’s room without so much as a knock, shifted in an instant.
At this late hour, for him to come seeking him with such urgency meant this was no trivial matter.
“A major fire has broken out at the textile factory in the Berk Region.”
“A fire?”
Camilla, who had been listening to Jacter’s words alongside the Duke, was equally startled internally. The timing was almost supernatural.
“Yes, fortunately it occurred at a late hour, so there are no reported casualties. However, it seems the factory operations will face considerable difficulties for some time.”
“Hmm, let us go to the Study at once.”
“Yes, sir.”
Duke Sorpel’s footsteps, which had been heading toward the door with Jacter, came to an abrupt halt. His gaze turned toward Camilla, whose tears had since dried.
He recalled what Camilla had said just moments before—that the fabric piled high in the Study had caught fire.
The others felt it too. Everyone stared at Camilla with startled eyes.
It wasn’t just the Study that had burned—it was specifically the fabric stored there that had caught flame!
Yet the people soon dismissed it with “Oh, it must be mere coincidence,” or expressed mild curiosity before returning to their places.
‘I find it curious too. Truly curious.’
How on earth had the timing aligned so perfectly?
Camilla drank the water Dona offered her slowly, her smile strained and awkward.
* * *
[Bait, you say?]
“Yes.”
[…?]
[We’re not fishing. Why suddenly speak of bait?]
Hersel and Derin did not immediately grasp Camilla’s meaning.
Bait? She was saying that last night’s scream was bait to find the Divine Beast’s egg? It made no sense whatsoever.
“If I suddenly produced the Divine Beast’s egg, what would people say?”
[They would be delighted.]
“….”
Did everyone become this simple-minded after death?
“Their delight would be fleeting. But what comes after?”
[After?]
“Would they not bombard me with questions—how did I know where it was? How did I manage to find it?”
[Hmm.]
[Yes, likely so.]
“Then what should I tell them?”
[That is….]
“If I were to tell the truth—that the late Hersel taught me—would they not say that Camilla Sorpel has finally lost her mind?”
[….]
“That is why I need bait.”
[You’re going to claim you saw where the Divine Beast’s egg is in a dream too?]
“Yes.”
[I doubt people will believe that.]
[I share the same concern, Miss Camilla.]
Camilla nodded in agreement.
It seemed unlikely that people would simply believe her just because she happened to witness a fire once in a dream and got it right.
“That’s why I need to lay more groundwork.”
[More?]
[What do you mean?]
Camilla merely smiled mysteriously at Hersel and Derin’s questions. Just then, the carriage she was riding in came to a gentle halt.
“We’ve arrived, Miss.”
Through the door the coachman opened, Camilla descended from the carriage slowly. Before her stood a small shop.
Through the shop window, I could see various items used by infants on display.
[Why here?]
“I need to buy materials for my groundwork.”
[Materials?]
Leaving the bewildered Hersel and Derin behind, Camilla headed toward the shop.
Before she could enter, they posed one final question.
[But yesterday—how did you know the Textile Factory would catch fire? Was it really just coincidence?]
[I’m curious about that too, Miss. How exactly did you know?]
[It was coincidence, wasn’t it?]
[That’s too implausible to call mere coincidence.]
My acting as I spoke of the dream was flawless.
From the sudden screaming to everything else—Hersel and Derin had witnessed it all, and my performance was realistic enough to fool even them.
The most puzzling part was how I had known about the fire that would occur at the factory. Surely I hadn’t just spouted random words.
“Oh! I’m so busy, so busy.”
I felt the two ghosts’ persistent gazes, but I pretended not to notice and hurried into the shop.
* * *
“Welcome, Count Shaylen.”
“Is the Duke inside?”
“Yes, he is waiting for you.”
Rube, the butler who had come out to the entrance, greeted him respectfully.
The Shaylen Family—the most intimate and long-standing vassal house of the Sorpel Duchy.
The reason for his visit to the Sorpel Household today was the textile factory fire incident that had occurred several days ago.
His face, which usually appeared at ease, was noticeably tense.
As the person responsible for managing the factory, there was no room for excuses regarding this matter.
Fortunately, the damage was not severe, but it would take considerable time to get the factory operational again.
‘Sigh.’
He exhaled a short breath inwardly and quietly followed butler Rube.
“Hmm?”
A moment later, Count Shaylen’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt. Someone was approaching from the end of the corridor leading to the Study.
Count Shaylen offered a light bow in greeting.
“It has been quite some time, Miss Camilla.”
She responded with an elegant smile, her lips curving gracefully.
“Yes, it truly has been a while, Count Shaylen.”
Observing the rigidity in his expression, Camilla maintained a faint smile at the corners of her mouth.
“You’ve come because of the textile factory fire, I presume?”
“Yes.”
At the mention of the fire, a sigh escaped his lips involuntarily. He then regarded Camilla with an expression of mild surprise.
Did she know that the factory where the fire had occurred was under his management?
I had thought her entirely indifferent to family business matters.
“Please, do not trouble yourself overmuch.”
Camilla offered him reassurance, and drawing upon her prior experience, she did not forget to offer a subtle hint.
“From what I’ve gathered, I understand you’re planning to rebuild and expand the textile factory to twice its current size.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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